


The boogeymen still sleep.

by Rinusagitora



Series: MonProm V:tM AU [4]
Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel), Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29629158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinusagitora/pseuds/Rinusagitora
Summary: Malkavians can be particularly obsessive about the strangest things.
Series: MonProm V:tM AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155839





	The boogeymen still sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the New Blood DLC for MonCamp & immediately fell in love with them :P
> 
> Vocab
> 
> Malkavian- The Malkavians are a clan of Vampires with their ranks filled with those perceived to be mentally ill, afflicted with a strange madness which varies between individuals. This doesn't mean that they aren't also insightful and highly intelligent, but they are controlled by their own variant of madness from the moment of their Embrace, some showing signs of previous traumas from their life as Kine.
> 
> Dominate- a Discipline that overwhelms another person's mind with the vampire's will, forcing victims to think or act according to the vampire's decree.
> 
> Gnawed- Not every mind is strong enough to withstand the curse of Malkav and still function (in a fashion). The Gnawed are those Malkavians that have been deemed nonfunctional through the madness transferred through the Embrace. Most are catatonic or howling idiots, unable to function in Kindred society.
> 
> Haven- A haven is the residence and intimate domain of a vampire, where they slumber during the day and may labor during the waking night.
> 
> Kindred- a term designated to the vampiric race as a whole, or it may refer to only a single vampire. Also known as Cainites, children of the first vampire Caine.
> 
> Kine- a somewhat old-fashioned and derogatory term used by the Kindred to refer to mortals, referring specifically to the living as the herd upon which they feed. 
> 
> Antediluvians- a vampire of incalculable power, thirteen of whom survived the Biblical Deluge, and who are usually considered to be the founders of the thirteen clans.
> 
> Camarilla- the largest of vampiric sects, a loose organization which ostensibly represents and protects all vampires by enforcing and promulgating the Masquerade. It is currently composed of six clans (formerly seven), though officially it considers all Kindred under its purview and welcomes any that obey its laws.
> 
> Sabbat- The Sabbat sees itself as the army of Caine, believed to be the first vampire, and consequently is tightly organized, far more than the relatively anarchic Camarilla.
> 
> Masquerade- an organized campaign enforced by Kindred society (mainly by the Camarilla), to convince people that vampires do not exist. The Masquerade is the cornerstone survival strategy for Cainites; without it, the kine would rise up and exterminate all the undead.
> 
> Child of Malk- another name for Malkavian
> 
> Lasombra- proud Kindred who command the very essence of darkness and shadow — to the point of worshipping it, some say.
> 
> Final Death- a term used by vampires to refer to permanent death, as opposed to torpor or their first death as part of the Embrace.
> 
> Torpor- a term used to describe the state of deep slumber that vampires enter into for prolonged periods of time
> 
> Whelp- a very derogatory term used for young Kindred

Polly loaned them a copy of one of her very favorite books, so they were reading while they waited for Vera to fetch their package from her office. Polly had warned her, too, of the weird one called Vicky, if memory served, that Vera took in. Her tone was fond while speaking of Vicky. Sawyer expected something goofy or off-color from them.

Instead, Vicky sat with her legs crossed in the corner, stitching and unstitching the top of one of her legs, like Sawyer wasn't even there until that second.

"How thirsty are they when they awake?"

Sawyer raised their head. "Huh?" They deadpanned.

"Them. When they wake."

Truthfully, Sawyer was a little annoyed by Vicky's attention. They preferred being unnoticed, despite their clan's predisposition to Dominate and ego. They particularly disliked Malkavians. Always so weird, so annoying.

They knew that was unkind. They liked Noodles, Gnawed and kept in his Haven, but Kindred were so very overwhelming.

"Who? Kindred? Kine?" they asked, frowning.

"No. Nonono. Them. Antediluvians... How many they drink until they bloat." 

Sawyer blinked. What a dark topic, and so unusual for an Anarch to mention out of the blue. Always more concerned with the likes of the Camarilla encroaching into their domain, of the Sabbat threatening the Masquerade.

But of course, a Child of Malk would be obsessed with something like Doomsday. It was always something weird, anything from harmless compulsions like opening a door seven times before entering, to full-blown psychosis. It always made them uncomfortable.

How were they supposed to answer that anyway? Sawyer hated being put on the spot... But Vicky's gaze was insistent. They got the feeling she'd bug them whether or not they carried the conversation, and it seemed like less of a headache to humor her paranoia while they waited for Vera.

"Well..." Sawyer scratched the back of their neck, "Until all Kindred are dead. That's how the legend goes."

Vicky hummed and rocked. Self-soothing, they assumed. "Do you believe Lasombra still wanders?"

"No. My clan is... structured," they said. "Darwinistic. Domineering. Even while we were aligned with the Sabbat. We've never been nomadic."

"No, your Antediluvian."

They frowned. "Most certainly not. I'm fairly sure they met Final Death."

"Not even in torpor?"

"No one lives forever, Vicky, not even Kindred."

She hummed, looking sadly into her lap.

Vicky was a weird girl, Sawyer thought, deranged and paranoid. But they felt bad for her, still. No way to help Malkavians and their fear of doomsday.

But Vera returned then. They stood as she delivered a heavy, although small cardboard box to them.

"I'm sorry for the wait. I had to take a call from the Baron when I was getting it," she said.

"No worries," they replied. Although they were tempted to tell Vera to get Vicky some blood with antidepressants in it. The whelp needed it badly. "Take care, Vera."

"Likewise," she responded.

Sawyer felt bad while they were leaving. As annoying as Malkavians were, it seemed many of them were in miserable terror, or completely inert. It was heart-breaking.


End file.
